Bangkok Bite – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Several years ago during an ice-breaker introduction at project team meeting, we were all asked to introduce ourselves and explain where we were from. Introducing myself as being from Massaman Curry, New Mexico drew absolutely no reaction, leading me to conclude two things: (1) my colleagues knew absolutely nothing about the Land of Enchantment and probably wondered if I needed a passport to get to Phoenix; and (2) despite one of our corporate values being “risk-taking,” none of them had ever dined at a Thai restaurant. These conclusions were reaffirmed during a break when one colleague commented about all the strangely named places in “Mexico,” citing Tacos (Taos?), Captain (Capitan?) and Lost Curses.

When an introductory situation calls for giving my place of birth, my deadpan reply is generally “I was born in Saginaw, Michigan,” a reference to a 1964 song of that title performed by Lefty Frizzel. Because my delivery is so straight-faced (like a mendacious politician delivering a campaign promise), rarely are my impish replies called into question. It would be impossible, however, to maintain a straight-face should someone dig more deeply about Massaman Curry. It’s hard to remain impassive when you’re drooling. Yes, Massaman Curry does have that effect on me sometimes. For years it’s been my ut assolet choice during an inaugural visit to any Thai restaurant. But I digress…

Bangkok Bite Dining Room

It could well be argued that there IS a Massaman Curry, New Mexico and that it’s clustered in the two-mile span between Constitution and Menaul on Wyoming. Within that stretch you’ll find what is probably the largest concentration of Thai restaurants in the state. At the southeastern-most flank is the elder statesperson (at only ten years) in Thai Tip. About half a mile north is Tara Thai Cuisine, also on Wyoming’s east side. Half a mile further north on Wyoming’s west side, the Hoffmantown Shopping Center is home to both Sizzling Thai and Bangkok Bite. Drive less than a mile west on Menaul and you’ll find Krung Thai. That’s five Thai restaurants in close proximity to each other. That’s a lot of Massaman Curry!

Bangkok Bite opened its doors in March, 2015. True to its name, the restaurant’s emphasis is on Thai cuisine as it’s prepared in the capital city of Bangkok. Unfortunately there’s no way to duplicate the experience of dining on the famous floating river market outside of Bangkok where local cuisine is prepared on floating kitchens right on boats. Experiential aspects aside, you can find wonderful cuisine on the “dry” sections of Bangkok, too. As with all cuisine of the region, Bangkok’s food tends to emphasis the flavor profiles of sweet, salty, hot and greasy. Steamed rice is served with different types of nam prik (chili dipping sauces) and soups.

Deep-Fried Dumpling

Ensconced within the fairly monochromatic (can you say stucco?) Hoffmantown Shopping Center, Bangkok Bite has one of the smallest storefronts on the complex, standing out only because of its signage’s yellow Asian font style. The dining room is fairly Liliputian, too, with just about a half-dozen ten four-top tables in close proximity to one another. Even the menu is abbreviated, a far cry from some of the compendium-like menus at other Thai restaurants. Within that menu, you’ll find a smattering of soups, salads, noodle dishes and of course, Massaman Curry.

When you’ve got a limited number of appetizers from which to choose, the decision should be easy, right? Not necessarily. Appetizers at Thai restaurants are not just a precursor to larger deliciousness, they’re often a memorable highlight, sometimes even better than the entrees they precede. Dumplings are always a safe and delicious bet. We expected Thai-style dumplings, the type made from fresh steamed rice noodles, but delivered to our table were the crescent-shaped dumplings more common in China. These are the dumplings to which many Americans refer as potstickers. Engorged with juicy pork and chives in a golden-brown skin with a crispy bottom and springy, chewy sides, the dumplings are served with a thin soy-based sauce which complements them well.

Pad Thai

The introductory Thai dish for many diners, especially those of the unadventurous ilk, is Pad Thai. It’s the “safe” choice for the trepidacious of taste. In that respect it’s a sort of the “fried chicken” of Thai cuisine. Pad Thai is generally good. It’s filling, tasty and…passable, but I’ve never had exceptional, life-altering, transformative Pad Thai. My Kim loves it, however, and she’s fine with it being “just good enough” (which might explain why we’ve been together for thirty years) and it suits her sweet-tooth. The Pad Thai at Bangkok Bite is just fine…as good as you’ll find at any good Thai restaurant in town. It’s just not especially memorable which makes it par for the course. If I’d had my druthers, it would have been covered in prik nam pla, my favorite Thai chili and fish sauce condiment.

A friend of mine from Santa Fe who shares my passion for Massaman Curry considers its fragrant bouquet a sort of aromatherapy. Her ritual involves not only bending down to inhale the comforting aromatic spices, fresh herbs, rich coconut and full-flavored curry, but in using her hands to fan its steaming aromas upward to her awaiting nostrils. She loves the purity of Massaman Curry by itself and does not mix it with the steamed rice which customarily accompanies the curry. On the basis of this practice, she might not have liked the Massaman Curry at Bangkok Bite.

Massaman Curry

That’s because the steamed rice isn’t plated separately from the Massaman Curry. At Bangkok Bite, the twain does meet, whether you want it to or not. Although there is a clear demarcation between rice and curry, my friend would find it too easy for the two to mix and not in the proportion she would like. She makes a good point! The Massaman Curry is a harmonious interchange of sweet and savory flavors in a rich, yet mild and thoroughly delightful dish. Alas, perhaps because of its plating, there just isn’t enough curry and there’s too much rice. The ratio of curry to rice should be about 65/35 or the rice absorbs the curry and renders the dish a bit on the dry side. By itself, the Massaman Curry is a pleasure to eat, but is best when plated separately from rice.

It’s become increasingly rare for Thai restaurants to cite “seasonal availability” as reasons not to have mangoes with sticky rice on the menu year-round. Alas, the mangoes are generally not those grown in Southeast Asia, but those grown in Mexico and other tropical nations in the western hemisphere. Proximity has increased their availability greatly, much to the detriment of American waist lines. Paired with sticky rice in rich, sweet coconut milk, there may be no dessert which couples fresh, tangy fruit with a sweet-savory complement so deliciously. The mangoes and sticky rice at Bangkok Bite will remind you why “off-season” can be so painful.

Mangoes with Sticky Rice

The aforementioned stretch of pavement on which several Thai restaurants can be found will probably never be known as “Little Thailand,” but anyone jonesing for another Thai restaurant to add to their rotation should visit soon…and often. Bangkok Bite is a welcome addition to the Duke City’s Thai cuisine scene.

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About Gil Garduno

Since 2008, the tagline on Gil’s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog has invited you to “Follow the Culinary Ruminations of New Mexico’s Sesquipedalian Sybarite.” To date, nearly 1 million visitors have trusted (or at least visited) my recommendations on nearly 1,100 restaurant reviews. Please take a few minutes to tell me what you think. Whether you agree or disagree with me, I'd love to hear about it.

Gil,
In your review you mentioned the Sizzling Thai. You realize, of course, that the Bangkok Bite is in the same place that the now defunct Sizzling Thai occupied,
Kay and I tried it for lunch after the write up in the Journal–Business Week? It was so unremarkable we can’t remember what we had. Perhaps it was the Massaman Curry because we do remember the dish being overwhelmed by the mountain of white rice they served with it.

Another good review, thanks! We will certainly be giving this a try when we can. Also, and I mention this given your penchant for thai duck. Recently Thai Cuisine 2 has been offering a “special thai style duck”. I would suggest you give it a try before it goes away. I have had it three times now and am waiting for the next installment. I am one who normally enjoys sucking duck off the bones, this won’t allow for that as it is nearly boneless, but it is still none-the-less great. Good skin, good meat, some other tasty bits here and there, and an amazing savory, garlic chili based sauce. Please go give it a shot and let us know what you think.

Gil, I have had the same problem all my life, having been raised in Bun bo Hue, California. Even native Californians have never heard of Bun bo Hue, but noodle vendors have I can assure you. The last ethnic census in New Mexico (2013) reports the Asian population in NM is 1.6 percent. What the census doesn’t report is that 90 percent of the 1.6 percent Asian population is situated between Constitution and Menaul, on Wyoming, running Thai restaurants. This statistic may be a surprise to many, but obviously, not to our intrepid strip-mall Asian dish-hunting hero, Gil Garduno.

When I head for a sleazy bar on East Central I order a test beer. If they can’t serve a beer without masking the basic flavor of the water without resorting to cheap tricks like hops there is no point of going further. Bud Light, Coors Light and PBR have great flavorless beer perfected.

Gil, I am sure that you have offended Hannah but she is just too polite to say so. Nobody can discombobulate spelling and general coherent typing like I can unless it is someone in China writing up assembly instructions for something you just bought. We call this the “Whole Bunch of Words System.” If a few words are good a bunch more is much clearer.

Jim, you may have a physique (especially the gluts) comparable to Bruce Schor’s son-in-law, but your proofreading skills leave a lot to be desired. Hannah knows I was kidding. Not only are her English skills far superior to mine, her Spanish is better, too. Should she so desire, she could probably point out the multitudinous malapropisms, grammatical errors and misspellings on every one of my missives.

If an Italian eatery can’t do a good “parm” dish I’m not going to waste my time. What’s more Italian than a good marinara sauce on a chicken, veal or eggplant parm?I. If an ethno-centric restaurant has trouble with the basics I can’t imagine what more intricate dishes taste like.

When I go to a Thai restaurant for the first time, I’m likely to order pad thai because I want to see how they handle it because if you’re a Thai restaurant, your pad thai better be on fleek! Just in an Irish pub the fish & chips should be perfect, and in a Korean restaurant the kalbi better not be too sweet.

I have a few ‘test’ dishes I use: chiles rellenos (I think it’s hard to make an excellent relleno), rice (in a sushi place), brisket in a bbq place….I’m sure there are more I can’t think of.